[FM24] The Fourth Glass, Vol. IV: Those Who Play With The Devil's Toys Will Be Brought By Degrees To Wield His Sword

[ManUtd1]

At the height of the long, hot summer of 2010, the priest of the Gergeti Trinity Church near Stepantsminda paid a sudden and unannounced visit to the eyeless scout sitting on the steps outside the Givi Chokheli stadium in Telavi.

“Have I got a deal for you!” the priest began, perhaps inauspiciously.

“Another deal like Koba and Bakar?” said the scout.  “I’ve still got my hands full training those giggling idiots out of every bad habit they picked up from you and replacing them with the bad habits I need.”

“Now, Giorgi,” the priest shrugged.  “I told you they were ****-flinging little footballers when we made the deal, and it was good enough for you at the—”

“Or maybe another deal like Beka, yeah? 

The scout’s rich, deep voice chased the priest’s objection right back down his throat.

“I’m sure you recall charging me everything but my dead mother’s kneecaps for him.”

“Ahhhhh, but he was special, and this boy, he’s special, too,” said the priest.  “Not quite seven years old, but everything you asked me to look for after I sold you Koba and Bakar.  Everything you like so much about Beka!  He’s got football in his heart, sure as the sea’s full of fish ****.  And I can let you have him at a…a discount.”

The scout spent a long moment mulling this.  “You’ll pardon me,” he finally said, “if the suggestion that the miniscule black turnip you call a heart is suddenly overflowing with generosity leaves me wanting to arm myself and put my back against a wall.”

The priest tried to let a vaguely sincere expression scurry onto his face, where it froze in evidence discomfort.  His shrug was theatrically casual.  “There are…problems with the boy, yes.  But the problems unique to his situation in my care.  Were he yours, I’m sure they would…vanish.”

“Oh, you have a magic boy!  Why didn’t you say so?”  The scout scratched his forehead beneath the white silk blindfold that covered his eyes.  “Magnificent.  I’ll plant him in the ****ing ground and grow a vine to an enchanted land beyond the clouds.”

“Ahhh…I’ve tasted that flavor of sarcasm before.”  The priest gave an arthritic mock bow.  “That’s the sort you spit out as a bargaining posture.  Is it really so hard to say that you’re interested?”

The scout shrugged. “I suppose Koba, Bakar and Beka could use a new teammate…or at least a new punching bag.  Suppose I’m willing to spend about 3 Euros and a bowl of **** for a mystery boy.  But you’ll still need to convince me that you deserve the bowl, filled to the brim, as it were.  Where are his parents?”

“His parents are in the wind.  Never seen hide nor hair of them.  He just showed up at the pitch one day next to the church, eager to play.” 

 “So, what’s the boy’s problem?”

“His problem,” said the priest, “is that if I can’t sell him to you, I’m going to have to slit his throat and throw him in the Terek.  And I’m going to have to do it tonight.”

The scout scratched his gray-stubbled throat.  “No ****?”

“None whatsoever.”  The priest reached down the front of a robe that was several years past merely shabby and pulled out an envelope, dyed dark blue with accents the rust red of dried blood.  “Already went to the big man at the GFF and got permission.  I’ll do the boy ear to ear and send him for teeth lessons.”

“Gods, it’s a sob story after all.”  For an eyeless scout, the fingers he jabbed into the priest’s sternum struck swift and sure.  “Find some other lackwit to shackle with the chains of your conscience.”

“Conscience can go **** up a chimney, old friend.  I’m talking football.  I can’t keep the boy.  Dinamo have already scouted him, they’re sniffing around, trying to find his parents to sign him up, all official-like.  I’m offering you a unique opportunity.  A genuine bargain.”

“If the boy’s too good for you to keep, why can’t you just pound some wisdom into him and let him ripen to a proper age of sale to those ****s from Tbilisi, like all the rest?”

“Out of the question.  And, I can’t just slap him around, because I can’t risk stunting the audacity that flows through his veins or discourage his love for the game.   If any of the other lads had the slightest inclination to even attempt what he pulls off on the pitch… We’d never lose a match.  I won’t let him go to Tbilisi -- of all clubs, not those ****s.  Which means I have 2 options.  Kill him quick or sell him quicker, so that he can be hidden away in the hinterlands, far from prying eyes.  No profit versus a paltry sum, and perhaps delaying the inevitable.  So, guess which one I prefer?”

The scout leaned forward, massaging his forehead above the blindfold.  “****.  This sounds like something I might actually be interested in hearing.  What if I told you there was a third option?”

And so the story of Jaba Roflkopter begins -- as a youth footballing prodigy makes an unceremonious departure for Telavi under the cover of night...a child with the football world at his feet.  Only for the scout's third option to send him down a different, albeit adjacent path, further in the Georgian countryside.  A child who never knew his parents.  All that he has to remember them by is his name -- and a vague memory of his mother's dark, blood-red hair, backlit by the roaring fire that was soon to consume her.

Edited October 22, 2023 by ManUtd1

[ManUtd1]

 You Don't Come To Georgia For The Snow, You Come For The Heat

Georgia -- a breathtakingly beautiful country lying at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, a country with a rich history.

An unlikely setting for a footballing revolution.

Yet another footballing revolution.  But before we dive into Jaba's journey, let's look at where we've been.

During the FM20 cycle, in need of a break from the Nearly Men, I was struck with a burning desire to manage Duruji Kvareli -- a Georgian club from Kvareli, a town of less than 8,000 residents nestled in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus.

On the FM20 version of this save, my manager was Giorgi Amirani -- named for the mythical Georgian hero who defied the Gods. Over a 22-year stretch, Amirani did the impossible (improbable?). By the time Duruji Kvareli were eliminated from the Champions League semifinals in May 2044 (at which point the save went on hiatus), they had claimed 3 Champions League titles, while the Georgians had claimed the 2042 World Cup title.  It was an epic journey -- easily one of my favorite saves of all time.

So, when FM 21 rolled around, I had no choice. I had to return to Georgia and once again try to conquer the world, this time under the leadership of Levan "Goose" Akhobadze and his trusted lieutenant, Luke Shaw. This time around, we claimed no less than 7 Champions League titles in a 28-year run that culminated with the 2050 World Cup title.

Unfortunately, however, one long-term goal eluded Goose. While Duruji Kvareli became the best club in the world over the course of the save, the Erovnuli Liga's reputation did not rise above that of the "big 5" European leagues.

Mission? Not accomplished. (*Sad Tom Cruise noises*)

So, there really was only one thing to do during the FM 22 cycle...

That time around, however, I resisted the temptation to return to Duruji Kvareli.  Instead, we went to Gareji Sagarejo -- the closest thing to a real-life version of my in-game Duruji Kvareli -- a club that once graced the heights of the Georgian regional championship in the Soviet pyramid, but found themselves in the 5th tier as recently as 2018. That year, however, everything changed when they won promotion to Liga 4.

In 2019, Gareji they finished a highly credible 3rd in Liga 4 -- much more than had been expected of them. They also made a fairy-tale run to the semifinals of the Davit Kipiani Cup, even taking an early lead against Lokomotivi before losing, 3-2 -- the furthest any team from the 4th tier has ever gotten.

The fates continued to look kindly on Gareji, with FC Tskhinvali unable to meet their financial obligations to compete in Liga 3 for the 2020 campaign -- Tskhinvali were expelled, and Gareji were promoted to take their place.

Again, little was expected of them in the rarified air of Liga 3. Yet, again, Gareji did not disappoint. They conquered, winning the league outright. And, as the end of the 2023 Erovnuli Liga 2 campaign draws near, they find themselves odds-on for promotion to the land of milk and honey, the Erovnuli Liga.

A brilliant rise to the 2nd tier. But there is much more to be done... So much more.

During the FM 22 cycle, we did not manage to conquer Europe, and the save went on hiatus after an epic, extra-time loss to Roberto Martinez's Liverpool in the 2042 Champions League final.  

All of which boils down to one simple, inescapable conclusion.

I have unfinished business in Georgia.  

We're going back to Duruji Kvareli -- the club where it all began. The club whose home pitch lies inside the walls of an 18th century fortress, the Kvarlis Tsentraluri Stadioni, which are said to have repelled the attacks of Nursal Bek of the Avar Khanate in 1755, although I may need to play several hundred hours of Europa Universalis IV to
confirm.

From this literal fortress, we will march forth with one mission.  Nothing less than to turn this literal fortress into an metaphorical one.  To conquer Georgia, Europe and the world with Duruji Kvareli and (eventually) the Georgian national team.

      

My Georgian saves have been serialized under the moniker, “The Fourth Glass,” a name I took from a Georgian legend related to the country’s claim to be the birthplace of wine. 

Specifically, Georgian legend tells of how God created wine to remind the world of Heaven. After creating wine, God invited His angels and the Devil to taste it, with all agreeing that it transcended the divine, such that it returned anyone who drank it to Heaven, if only for a short period of time.

This, the Devil could not tolerate.

He created his own alcoholic beverage from the remains of crushed wine grapes — chacha, a potent, fiery drink. Returning the courtesy, the Devil invited God to sample chacha. God drank one glass of chacha. Then a second. A third. A fourth. Finally, God leaned over to the Devil, drew him close and declared that “those who will drink three glasses of chacha may be on my side. After that, they are yours.”

There will be no no hard-and-fast rules beyond the general concept of the save. I will not adhere to any particular transfer policy, beyond my standard preference for developing youth. I am using my personal FM23 Georgian 5-tier file, which I made (and updated) despite my utter and complete dislike of that edition of the game (easily my least favorite of all-time, going back more than 25 years).  The overall league structure is close to realistic, but not entirely accurate due to: (1) the limitations of my skills with the FM23 pre-game editor; and (2) the ever-changing nature of the Georgian footballing structure.  I also incorporated a reduced injuries file to cut down on injuries across the board, without giving myself an “advantage” over the AI.

Finally, to ensure a unique playing environment and vibrant in-game world, I will: (1) holiday out a few years with the top leagues in England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain active (alongside numerous view only leagues); and (2) utilize a large database/pool of potential players, including all internationals
worldwide and all players from clubs in European, African and South American continental competitions.

Up next: We meet our hero, Jaba Roflkopter, and take stock of the footballing world as he takes his first steps into management. 

Edited October 22, 2023 by ManUtd1

[TheLutterworthFox]

HE'S BACK!!!!!! Cannot wait to follow along!

[Sizeman21]

I loved my one attempted save in Georgia way back, so this should be a good show. You seem you bring instantaneous success to your clubs. Following!

[ManUtd1]

12 hours ago, TheLutterworthFox said:

HE'S BACK!!!!!! Cannot wait to follow along!

This thread smells vaguely of sulfur and jelly beans.  Let's go.

5 hours ago, Sizeman21 said:

I loved my one attempted save in Georgia way back, so this should be a good show. You seem you bring instantaneous success to your clubs. Following!

We'll see if we can work miracles this time around...as you'll see soon enough, it's going to be a heavy lift at the outset!

[Deisler26]

The Sweaty Pussycat is bracing itself for a lot of business

[ManUtd1]

Time continues to skip forward randomly. Details at elev...

Our story begins on a sunny Tuesday in June 2025.

Maybe robots have taken over. Maybe they haven't.

I don't know.

It's the future, and this story isn't about that.

As impatient as I may be, before we dive into the first chapter of Jaba Roflkopter's story we need to take a brief look around Europe to see where things sit...

European Competitions, 2022-25

In the Champions League, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, Julian Nagelsmann's Barcelona and Jurgen Klopp's Virus claimed the 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 titles, respectively.

  

(Before anyone asks, I'm using the WTCS Gold Skin.)

Andre Villas-Boas's Porto, Diego Simeone's Inter Milan, and Dino Toppmuller's Frankfurt have claimed Europa League glory, with Bruno Genesio's Rennes, Brendan Rodgers' Wolves and Ernesto Valverde's Newcastle taking home Europa Conference League titles.

2022 World Cup

In a saucy 2022 World Cup, Roberto Martinez's Portugal defeated Kasper Hjulmand's Denmark 4-1, which saw urCristiano enter the fray in the 77th minute and promptly score Portugal's 4th.  As one does...

 

European Leagues & Competitions, 2022-25

Thus far, the Erovnuli Liga title has been in the hands of a real-life rising power, Dinamo Batumi, and Torpedo Kutaisi. Something we shall have to remedy, yes?

 

I do not like Dinamo Tbilisi. I do not like them here or there. I do not like them anywhere.

In the Davit Kipiani Cup, Dinamo Tbilisi, Gareji Sagarejo and Dila Gori have shared the spoils.

In the major European leagues, there have been few surprises...I'd dig in deeper, but these results are distressingly predictable.

    

Up next: The stage has been set.  Our hero is in the wings, waiting for his cue.

[ManUtd1]

7 minutes ago, Deisler26 said:

The Sweaty Pussycat is bracing itself for a lot of business

The Itchy Kitty -- oft imitated, never duplicated.  

I will concede that the Sweaty Pussycat has its merits.  

[Deisler26]

5 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

The Itchy Kitty -- oft imitated, never duplicated.  

I will concede that the Sweaty Pussycat has its merits.  

Setup by a former bartender from the Itchy Kitty. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery

[ManUtd1]

The days, weeks, months and years pass in rural Georgia.  The flash of a knife having ended -- severed, one might even say -- young Jaba's dreams of chasing glory on the pitch.

The distractions of youth were ever present, even in the small town of Kvareli.  But his mind never turned from football.  The glories on far-distant pitches, transmitted to the barely-functioning television at the orphanage, feeding his ambition.

A chance encounter with a drunken Jonathan Wilson led to the "borrowing" of Wilson's well-thumbed, hard-to-find tactics Bible.  No, not Inverting the Pyramid.  That's pedestrian verse, at best.  Looking backward, not forwards.

No, young Jaba pulled something more significant out of Wilson's knapsack.  The Satanic Bible of footballing tactics, if you will -- Telleus' Tactical Teachings: Tomorrow's Football Today.  A revolutionary tome.  A dangerous tome, some might even say.  One that would change the direction of one young man's life.  And perhaps that of the footballing world.

[ManUtd1]

4 minutes ago, Deisler26 said:

Setup by a former bartender from the Itchy Kitty. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery

Funny, that's the exact pitch the local plastic surgeon uses.

[Rikulec]

Great to see you back mate. 

[ManUtd1]

It Is Not Enough To Conquer, One Must Learn To Seduce

June 2025 - Duruji Kvareli

One thing is clear, in early June 2025.  The bloom is off the rose with respect to the managerial tenure of Beka Sulmanidze at Duruji Kvareli.

Bottom of the league, with 8 points from 13 matches, 22 points off the pace.  Not the most auspicious starting point for a footballing revolution.

But this is the hand RNGeebus has dealt us.

 

Suffice to say that there is a lot of work to be done.  Our initial goal is merely to survive.  We have 26 matches to play and sit 5 points from safety.  That should be an easy target.  "Should" being the operative term.

Yet, we only have 15 senior players, 2 of whom having signed deals to leave when the transfer window opens in a few times -- including our captain, Soso "the Shark" Sharukia.   By any objective measure, we are proper ****ed.  And not in the way that costs extra down at the Itchy Kitty.

As a long-time supporter of the club, not even Jaba can pretend that things are looking good.

         

Up Next: We consider the tactics that young Jaba will employ, and assess the squad.  Best bring a blowtorch and scissors.

Edited October 22, 2023 by ManUtd1

[ManUtd1]

13 minutes ago, Rikulec said:

Great to see you back mate. 

Good to see you, too!  

[ManUtd1]

It Is Not Enough To Conquer, One Must Learn To Seduce

June 2025 - Tactical Musings & Squad Assessment

What is there to say, really?  The squad is crap, emphasis on crap.

Let's begin at the beginning, though.  Since the FM17 cycle, anyone who has followed my threads knows that I want to utilize a hyper-aggressive libero in a strikerless tactic.  The revisions to the libero for FM24 have certainly not cooled my love affair for the libero...though I am bitter about removing the "attack" duty.

Bottom line, within moments of opening FM24 I had begun implementing an updated version of PM Draugrson, one of my favorite tactics from he FM22 cycle.  The results?  Saucy, saucy football.  With results.  Which means we will begin our journey with that initial, test version of the tactic -- a 524/343 setup, albeit without the inverted wingback to ensure that my libero has room to roam.  If he wants to.

This is by no means a "final" tactic.  But it works...at least, it was working in the 5th tier of Georgia.  

As the orange lines and dashes suggest, however, whether it works with this side is another matter entirely.  Because, as will become evident in rather short order, we are objectively terrible.

I can't bear to go through all of our players, so we'll just focus on the (so-called) "highlights" for the moment...

In goal, we have our captain -- Soso "the Shark" Sharukhia, who has already signed a deal to leave us.  Can't say I blame him.  Seventeen year-old Giorgi Mikadze will thus take over, if we are unable to secure a more experienced, steady hand.  Warning signs should most certainly be flashing, for those of you following along at home. 

Ivane Skhirtladze will be our libero.  Because reasons.  If you're looking for detailed, objective analysis in the Georgian 5th tier, you've come to the wrong place.  Will he trip over the ball?  Maybe.  But he's more ready to play this role than Zurab Tabatadze.  I considered Kakha Mamulashvili for the role, but I think I need to keep him higher up the pitch.

I will confess to being irrationally excited about Giorgi Bezhanidze, who will play as our right wingback.  While he belongs at centerback (given our utter dearth of talent at that position), I don't think I can look past his attacking attributes at this level.  And, let's remember, I did note that it was an irrational excitement.  We also have Nihad Haciyev on loan from second-tier Aragvi -- a player who 

In the attack, we've got the likes of Sergi Abramishvili -- a player who my coaching staff believe to be, objectively, our most talented player.  We will need some big numbers from both he and Giorgi Panchulidze, who will deploy as our shadowganche.  I also have high hopes for Giorgi Kvashilava, with his pace...if we spend any time in the 5th tier, he could run amok.

         

Edited October 22, 2023 by ManUtd1

[ManUtd1]

June 2025.

Was it pretty?  Absolutely not.

Do we care?  Absolutely not.  We'll take a 95th minute winner any day of the week, and most certainly take it on my debut in a relegation 6-pointer.

Who needs "Fergie Time," anyways.  We've got "Jaba Time," beotch.

 

Edited October 22, 2023 by ManUtd1

[ManUtd1]

June/July 2025.

Turns out that 95th minute goal was something of a false dawn.  I was a fool for underestimating the sheer crap-titude of the squad...and the league as well, it seems.

3 wins and 2 draws from 8 matches is enough to pull us out of the relegation zone -- in and of itself cause for celebration, all the more so when one considers that 2 of those wins were against runaway league-leaders Abuli (only their second loss of the campaign) and Merani Martvili's reserves, who were sitting 2nd when they rolled into town.  We also finally managed to keep a cleansheet against Abuli...statistically, it was bound to happen sometime.  Wouldn't have expected it in that match, mind.

 

[ManUtd1]

August/September 2025.

Our mixed run of form continues.  But we're moving on up.  Slowly.  

In the process, we’ve seen wins and losses.  Results that you’ve seen.  But you have no right to sack me.  You have a right to call for a different approach. You have a right to do that, but you have no right to judge me. It’s impossible for words to describe what is necessary to those who do not know what victory means. Victory. Victory has a face. And you must make a friend of victory. Victory and loss are your friends. If they are not then they are enemies to be feared.

 

[ManUtd1]

September 2025 -- Youth Intake.

Well, then.  That'll do. 

While none of these lads will step directly into the XI, they're an upgrade.  A much needed upgrade.

    

[ManUtd1]

October 2025.

Debut goals for Nika "The Situation" Todria and Akaki "Shaggy" Chagelishvili are the talk of the town.  Which is good.  Because that means no one is talking about our utterly crap defensive record.  

[ManUtd1]

The bad news?  Shengelia is out for the rest of the campaign.  The good news?  Kirtadze had a solid debut.

Sink or swim time, Roland.

 

[ManUtd1]

In the least surprising news of the day...

[ManUtd1]

Merani-3 Tbilisi have won 2 straight...and we play them next, with two matches to play.  Squeaky bum time.

And you, Goga?  You can **** right off.

[ManUtd1]

A nervy trip to the capitol on Matchday 38.  If we lose, Merani will claim the tiebreaker.  We need a performance.

Shengelia returns to full fitness and immediately steps back in between the sticks.  We need any and every possible bit of help.  

The opening minutes are nervy, as we trade dangerous free kicks...but Dzagania claims first blood in the 27th, slotting home from 20 yards out, to give us hope.  The hosts level in the 50th minute, only for the flag to go up....less than 10 minutes later, we have no such savior.  Mujiri levels.

And two minutes later, we are down 2-1 after a rapid counterattack.  It is all falling to pieces.  Relegation beckons.

But perhaps not today, Satan.

Mamulashvili lashes home a thunderbolt from 25 yards, having come forward from deep, in search of an equalizer.  All to play for.

At least, that was the thought.  We concede almost immediately.  ****.

Dzagania rattles the crossbar in the 83rd, the keeper well-beaten, and in the mad scramble for a rebound, Merani hero Mujiri fouls Bezhanide.  Penalty.  Abramishvili picks his corner, drawing us back level.

Our defense only need hold out for 10 minutes.

As demonstrated by 37 prior matches, it is a task beyond their capacity. We concede in the 88th minute.  Six minutes of time-added on are not enough.

Trailing by 9 points with 4 matches to play, Merani needed a miracle.  They've won 3 straight.  They leapfrog us on the tiebreaker.  We are 90 minutes from relegation.  On this display, it is no less than we deserve.

        

Edited October 26, 2023 by ManUtd1

[ManUtd1]

Apparently, our local bank is run by even bigger idiots than those sitting on our board.  There can be no other explanation for their decision to loan us money.

No other legitimate reason, that is.

We aren't dead yet, mind.  Merani are away to third-place Liakhvi, while we host Chkherimela.  We simply need a point.

Edited October 26, 2023 by ManUtd1

[ManUtd1]

The task is beyond us.  Even with Shengelia saving a penalty, we are not good enough.

Truth be told, we never were good enough. 

Nevertheless, relegation through a tiebreaker is a cruel, cold result.

The only saving grace is that there were only 96 people present to witness the humiliation of the board sacking me on the pitch, refusing to even allow me to address the lads as they had their post-match orange wedges.

I would've liked an orange wedge.  They do not taste of failure, no matter how grey the day may be.

On the long, lonely bus ride home my phone dings.  Far from a message of consolation, it is that utter **** Goga, sending me the press release confirming I've been sacked.

**** off, Goga.

 

Edited October 26, 2023 by ManUtd1

[Rikulec]

Oh ****. 

[Deisler26]

Go. Refresh yourself at the Sweaty Pussycat. Come back with another club. Prove you belong in the VIP Section of the Itchy Kitty

[ManUtd1]

1 hour ago, Rikulec said:

Oh ****. 

[ManUtd1]

6 minutes ago, Deisler26 said:

Go. Refresh yourself at the Sweaty Pussycat. Come back with another club. Prove you belong in the VIP Section of the Itchy Kitty

My thoughts exactly.

[ManUtd1]

Any fool can be happy. It takes a man with real heart to make beauty out of the stuff that makes us weep.

January 2026 - Gldani Tbilisi

The tears do not stop.  No matter how loud I turn up Chumbawamba while making the long drive into Tbilisi.  No matter how loudly I sing along, on repeat.

I manage to clean myself up in a service station for the interview...which by some minor miracle I manage not to screw up.  We're back.  Still in the 5th tier.  But perhaps with a side that has a slightly better chance, as evidence by their 6th place finish last year.  On first glance, we have some lads who can play.  I cannot help but wince, though, when I consider that the squad seems to be uniquely unbalanced...solid attacking quality, but lacking what we might need in defense to keep us out of trouble.  Expectations are reasonable.  With any luck, we can bring some reinforcements in to avoid a repeat of last year's...unpleasantness.

With a heavy heart, I realize that my dreams of bringing glory to my beloved Duruji Kvareli may be dashed, all is not lost.  We simply must secure immortality by other means.  By any means, even.

 

    

Edited October 27, 2023 by ManUtd1

[ManUtd1]

The first move we make in the market?  Sign Lasha Dzagania.  He served admirably as our mezzala last year -- I felt we needed him higher up the pitch.  This year, he will play where I always should have deployed him, as a libero, born free to roam the Georgian countryside.

 

[ManUtd1]

First friendly, as we welcome two brand new signings intended to shore up the back line -- David "Lady" Ghaghanidze and Tariel Darjania.  Ernovuli Liga side Gareji are paying us a visit...and may only be a friendly, but we'll take the result.

 

[Deisler26]

🎼”Oh, show me the club where the libero roams freeeee….” 

[ManUtd1]

4 minutes ago, Deisler26 said:

🎼”Oh, show me the club where the libero roams freeeee….” 

[ManUtd1]

February 2026.

Our brilliant start to the pre-season continues after the Gareji friendly, with wins over Liga 3 sides Sabutalo-2 and Spaeri, as we sign Giorgi Chachibani from Torpeo on loan...only to lose to Vazisubani.  Is that 1 anomaly, or 3...? 

The real season kicks off next.  Time to take care of business, lads.

 

 

[ManUtd1]

Well, then.  That's the youth team sorted...the spoiled little ****s.

[ManUtd1]

Great.  80 people to disappoint.  

[ManUtd1]

March/April 2026.

After our barnstorming start to the year, we had high hopes.  Yet we've only won 1 competitive match.  Mind, we've only lost 1, and that was in the Cup.

Match after match.  We conspire to mediocrity.  One draw begets another.

Our tactics should be starting to gel...in theory.  

 

Edited October 28, 2023 by ManUtd1

[ManUtd1]

September 2026.

Two signings over the summer transfer window bolster the midfield -- Giorgi Tsertsvadze and Irakli Melkadze, who step into the 1st XI as our mezzala and BWM.  They do the trick, as we begin to steadily turn draws into wins...with additional draws sprinkled in for good measure.

With 12 matches to play, we sit 7 points off the top.  Unbeaten, with the best defense in the league...but with 15 draws from 27 matches.  Promotion is not beyond the realm of possibility if we can be more clinical in the final third.

 

 

[TheLutterworthFox]

13 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:

March/April 2026.

After our barnstorming start to the year, we had high hopes.  Yet we've only won 1 competitive match.  Mind, we've only lost 1, and that was in the Cup.

Match after match.  We conspire to mediocrity.  One draw begets another.

Our tactics should be starting to gel...in theory.  

 

[TheLutterworthFox]

7 minutes ago, ManUtd1 said:

September 2026.

Two signings over the summer transfer window bolster the midfield -- Giorgi Tsertsvadze and Irakli Melkadze, who step into the 1st XI as our mezzala and BWM.  They do the trick, as we begin to steadily turn draws into wins...with additional draws sprinkled in for good measure.

With 12 matches to play, we sit 7 points off the top.  Unbeaten, with the best defense in the league...but with 15 draws from 27 matches.  Promotion is not beyond the realm of possibility if we can be more clinical in the final third.

 

 

A lot more green on those results, a fantastic season mate, keep it up!

[ManUtd1]

9 minutes ago, TheLutterworthFox said:

[ManUtd1]

October 2026.

Liakhvi draw two on the bounce, while we hold serve.  Setting up a promotion six-pointer in Tbilisi, as we sit 3 points off the pace.  A far cry from last year's debacle. 

Though the Board had no expectations, it is hard not to think about promotion and what it could mean -- last year's champions, Abuli, sit atop Liga 4.  The margins are thin.  But only one team can go up.  Our key players are all signed on through the end of next year, so this core group can and will remain together -- the only exceptions being Chachibaia in goal (Torpedo won't negotiate an extension just yet) and Mchedlishvil (who has an offer on the table).  Tsertsvadze knows we are the side with potential, and has agreed to join us a permanent deal at the end of the campaign.

8 matches to play.  We can seize the momentum with a win on Saturday.

  

[ManUtd1]

October 2026.  

The last time we squared off with Liakhvi in Gori, the ****s drew two reds in quick succession, facilitating a 4-nil rout.  We cannot county on their self-immolation this time around.

The early stages are ours, but Liakhvi strike first after we fail to clear our lines on a corner.  Ghaghanidze draws us level minutes later, hammering a header into the back of the net from 5 yards.  The modest crowd senses blood in the water, and when Kobiashvili draws his second yellow in the 41st minute, we know that this is our moment.

Or is it?  We concede on a set piece shortly after the half.  Sloppy.  Arrogant.  We must be better.  Though chances begin to fall our way, we do not take them and only manage to equalize in the 76th, Samadashvili curling one into the top corner.

It takes until the 91st minute.  Much later than anyone would have liked.  But Dzagania smashes one into the back of the net off a neatly-worked free kick.

Level on points, with the head-to-head tiebreaker in hand.  Top of the table.

      

Edited October 28, 2023 by ManUtd1

[ManUtd1]

The best player in the Class of '26 is a 5'9", 136 pound "wide target forward."

Yes, you read that correctly.

Yes, I see that incredulous look on your face.

I agree.

 

[ManUtd1]

November 2026.

4 matches to play.  3 points back after dropping points away to Algeti and Chkherimela.  ****.

 

[ManUtd1]

3 matches.  1 point.  

[ManUtd1]

This is one agent earning his 10 percent.  Trying to flog a genuinely terrible kid from the 3rd tier in the Maldives to us, a 5th tier club in Georgia.

Got to admire the hustle.

And seriously, fellas.  Find someone who looks at you the way Mikael looks at Mohamed.

 

[ManUtd1]

Full credit to the Magharoeli lads, who didn't know the match was over at 6-1.  

For the second year in a row, this looks poised to come down to the final matchday.  And I don't like it.